Road trip #1 Switzerland to Belgium

Road trip #1

28^th May to 1^st June

Leysin, Switzerland to Leuven, Belgium

Our very first road trip in Europe was to take us on a winding path out of Switzerland up through France and into Belgium where we will hang out in Leuven with Tim and the bike NZ team while they do their last road phase before heading to the south of France for their final track preparation prior to the London Olympics.

Monday 28^th May was a stunning Swiss spring day. Loaded to the brink of bursting in the shiny new Subaru we made our way around Lake Geneva to Rene and Veras place in Crans for lunch. As always we were treated to fantastic fare and lovely company. We met Rene and Vera 11 years ago on our bike tour through Europe and have had the pleasure too of hosting them back in New Zealand. Ironically their eldest daughter, Barbara, is now a resident of New Zealand, living and working in the South Island.

From Crans we headed up and over the border into France following the same route we did on our bikes in 2001. Funnily enough I can’t really remember much of that day 11 years ago...must have been scarred from all the hill climbing.

Our plan was to head for the camp ground in Champagnol that we had stayed at on our previous route. Unfortunately we were 3 days too early for their camping season and resorted to the classic Carswell decision maker...toss the coin. Heads we go left, tails we go right. Long story short we ended in a tiny wee town called Port Lesney. Situated beside a meandering river in a lush green tree lined site we set up the 3 man tent....surely that means two adults and two small children.

 Our hunter and gatherer male went wandering to source something sparkling to quench our thirst. And boy did he do well. Being a public holiday and all he managed to spot a takeaway truck that did pizza in a wood fired burner and wine. I love the French!

 The plan was to spend two nights in the idyllic setting and just roll with French life.

That was until we realised the church bells less than 20mt away chimed every hour, on the hour...and 5 min past, for those who didn’t hear it the first time. What a shocker that was, by 4 am Tim and I had had a guts full of the rude awakenings and were ready to hit the road at first light. Much to the dismay of the kids, “what bells?” they questioned us.

Tim had mapped us a route to Epernay in the Champagne region but not before exploring a 12^thcentury ruin up in the hills overlooking the surrounding land. The history in these parts of the world is just mind blowing and the kids spent a good hour exploring and imaging the battles and royalty that roamed the land.

Epernay was a great wee find. With over 200 million bottles of champagne stored in caves under the city what was not to like. We spoke to a few folk in the camp ground and they suggested the House of Mercier as you descended 30mt into the earth and took you on a tour through the caves on a train. With over 18km of tunnels and bottles as far as the eye can see. It certainly was spectacular. We purchased a case of their finest champagne to share with friends and family who come to visit.

After two nights in Epernay we continued north via Reims and a quick visit to the Notre-Dame de Reims (Our Lady of Rheims), where the Kings of France were once crowned. Last year it celebrated its 800^th birthday. Far out that place was huge. I guess it just goes to show what one can do when you dream big.

After another coin toss moment we ended up in Chimay, the home of the Scourmont Abbey and of course Chimay beer. The Abbey was established in 1850 when a group of 17 monks started to clear the land given to them by the Prince of Chimay. To live from the labour of their hands, as recommended by their founding fathers, the monks started out by farming this land. Chimay, brewed at the Notre-Dame de Scourmont Abbey, is one of the 6 Belgium beers that carry the logo “Authentic Trappist Product”(A.T.P). Of which there are only 8 authentic Trappist brews in the world. The very strict conditions of being granted the A T P logo follow traditions dating back hundreds of years, including that they are manufactured on site or close proximity to the monastery, and are managed by the monastic community. Unfortunately this small and disorganised town didn’t live up to either of our expectations. After much hunting we found the Chimay museum and tasting room a few kilometres away from the Abbey which was nearly 20km out of town. Thank goodness the sampling didn’t let us down. The monks brew a special beer called La Special Poteaupre just for the museum so it was well worth the visit. And as one does when you have a niche market covered, you branch out again. The cheese from the Abbey is perfectly matched to each beer...along with its own drinking glass. My guess is that they realised the need to keep the wives of the beer drinkers happy and put their cows to good use. There certainly wasn’t any problem getting to sleep that night, even in the dodgy camp ground with a very vocal neighbour.

After a rather quick getaway in the morning we made for Waterloo. This time my expectations were pegged down a notch or two. A pile of dirt in the rolling country side of Waterloo can’t be that spectacular. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The battle of Waterloo started just before lunch time on the 18^thof June 1815 and lasted until Napoleon was defeated around 8pm the same evening. Three hours just slipped by exploring the museum, short films, bus tour and climbing to the top of the man made hill overlooking the battle fields. The kids were just as fascinated as we were and managed to learn a lot of how Europe was shaped in the 19^th century. It was well worth the trip and something we would recommend checking out.

From Waterloo we drove another 40 min to Leuven which is our base for the 10 days and the best thing of all...beds.